Ouija
by SuperBlueGirl12
Summary: Ouija boards are not all fun and games. Santana, Quinn, Rachel and Brittany are just about to find that out.  Rated T for language, may change in later chapters because of potential content.  Bad summary! Please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, just want to give a big thanks to Ellen1996 who suggested this fic and believed in me enough to write it and make it good!**

**I hope you like it and please R&R. (For all who read my other stuff, my main focuses are going to be this, Restless and Something Supernatural. I will try and finish HAppy Halloween but it's not that much of a priority but please shout at me if you want updates on the other fics and i'll do my best!)**

**Thanks! :) xx**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

'Can somebody please tell me why we're doing this?' Rachel whispered as she, Santana, Brittany and Quinn wandered through the woods that ran along the back of Santana's house.

'Because Berry, this is a sleepover, and this is the kind of crap people do during sleepovers.' Santana crudely pointed out.

'San, be nice.' Brittany pleaded, holding Santana's free hand. The other was carrying a big blue duffle bag filled with sleepover goodies.

'Right I understand that Santana, but why are we going into the woods? What are we even planning to do in the woods?' Rachel looked cautiously behind her.

'Santana thinks the woods are haunted.' Quinn said, getting a glare from the Latina.

'I don think Q, I know they are.' Santana corrected, leading the rest of the girls out into a small clearing. 'This will do.' She said, setting the bag on the floor next to a cut of tree stump.

'Santana, just tell me what is in the bag.' Rachel pleaded as she looked at Santana. The girls smirk was growing as she unzipped the duffle, pulling out an old wooden box.

'I knew you wouldn't come if I told you what we were doing.' Santana said as Rachel gazed upon the object.

'Oh, no way Santana!' She yelled, again looking around her as if she was afraid of being watched.

'Man up Berry, I just wanted to try it.' Santana began folding open the wooden board.

'No, forget it.' Rachel stepped back.

'Come on Rachel, it's just a bit of fun.' Quinn rubbed the top of her arm reassuringly.

'No. I'm sorry but I am not doing a Ouija board in the middle of the night, in woods that you already believe are haunted.'

'Fine whatever, are you in Brit?' Santana looked down at Brittany who had picked up the pointer and was playing with it in her hands.

'No, I don't want to either San. Boards make me nervous.' She looked down sadly.

'I know B, it's okay.' Santana smiled at her and then looked at Quinn who was staring at Brittany. The blonde shook her head as she tried to understand the dancer but quickly snapped back to reality. 'Just me and goldilocks then.' Santana winked as Quinn rolled her eyes.

'Fine, but only because I don't believe in this crap anyway.' Quinn conceded, moving up to stand next to Santana. The wind howled around them, all of the girls pulling up their collars, except for Santana who didn't have a collar to pull up. She felt Brittany's hand tighten around her own and leant into her.

'Go stand with Berry okay, we wont be out her long and then we can get our cuddle on.' She kissed Brittany's neck, the blonde giggling before running and latching onto Rachel's arm.

'Alright, how do we do this?' Quinn asked as she studied the board.

'Are you kidding me? You've never done this before?' Santana placed the pointer she had gotten from Brittany into the middle of the board. It was resting on the tree stump in the centre of the small clearing, Quinn and Santana standing opposite each other either side of it.

'No, I told you. I don't believe in this crap.'

'Basically we both place a finger on the pointer. Lightly so that neither of us can push it.' Santana started explaining.

'But how will I know you're not pushing it?' Quinn thought out loud.

'You just do Q.' Santana shook her head and continued. 'Then we ask a question. And if there's anything here the pointer will move and spell out what they want to say.'

'Okay.' Quinn said firmly. 'But San, what do you honestly think will happen?' She laughed. 'This isn't real, it doesn't really work.'

'How do we know that until we try?' Santana smiled. 'And there is definitely something here, I can feel it.'

'You're nuts Lopez.' Quinn laughed.

'Maybe.' She grinned. 'Now come on, I'm freezing my ass off.'

'That is your fault for not wearing a proper jacket.' Quinn pointed out.

'Whatever, Brit..' She called to her girlfriend. 'You guys okay over there?' Brittany and Rachel had sat down on one of the large uprooted tree logs on the other side of the clearing.

'We're good.' Brittany replied cheerfully, her arm still locked with Rachel's.

'Just hurry up Santana, I don't like it out here.' Rachel said nervously, once again looking behind her. 'Did you hear that?' She shouted.

'It's the wind Rachel, calm down.' Quinn called over her shoulder and then looking up to Santana. 'So, what do you want to ask?'

'I dunno.' Santana thought for a second. 'Put your finger on the pointer.' Both girls did so, placing their right index fingers onto the wooden pointer. Quinn didn't want to admit this out loud but the atmosphere was getting to her. Dark night, wind swirling, four girls out in the middle of the woods doing something they probably shouldn't be. It felt like the beginning of some horrible teen slasher movie, which Quinn refrained from watching.

'Now what?' She asked nervously.

'Is anyone there?' Santana called out, looking up and around Quinn. A few moments of eerie silence passed, Quinn looking at the brunette.

'Oh well ,no one home. Shall we call it a night?' Quinn almost stepped back but Santana stopped her. 'San, what the hell?'

'Don't take your finger off of the pointer.' She said anxiously.

'What? Why?' Quinn lent back over, her finger still very much on the wooden object.

'You just cant okay, not until we end the conversation properly. My grandma told me that if you're in communication with someone and you remove your finger before the session is over, the spirit will get released.'

'Santana you're freaking me out. Released from where?' Quinn looked up, fear now running through her as the wind got colder. She could see her friend shivering as goosebumps covered her arms.

'It's like another dimension, or plain, where the souls get stuck after they die.'

'How do you know all of this stuff?' Quinn asked.

'Grandma.' Santana smiled. 'She was kind of a freak for the afterlife and all that shit. Told me once she spoke to a ghost.' Santana informed Quinn, who looked even paler than usual.

'Well, at least now I know where you get your crazy from.' She joked.

'Exactly.' Santana grinned. 'But she said that some spirits will use Ouija boards to break back through into our plain of existence, to cause havoc or whatever.'

'So why the hell are we doing it!' Quinn shouted.

'I thought you said it wasn't real?' Santana reminded her.

'Still, I'm cold and scared and I don't want to be here anymore. It's obvious there is no one here.' She said firmly. And then the pointer moved. 'Holy shit!' Quinn cried, doing everything she could to keep in contact with the pointer as it moved towards the letters.

'H…' Santana spoke out loud. 'I…. Hi.' She looked at Quinn. 'Was that you Q?' Santana whispered.

'N…no.' Quinn swallowed. 'Was it you?' Santana shook her head. They looked at each other for a moment until Rachel broke the silence.

'What's going on over there guys?' She called.

'Nothing, hang on.' Santana shouted back, looking down at the board. 'Who are you?' She looked up to the sky.

'San, I think we should stop.' Quinn practically begged.

'We cant until they officially say goodbye.' Santana reminded her.

'Great.' Quinn whispered, resting her other elbow on the tree stump. 'Oh my God.' She said quietly, lifting her head as they watched the pointer move once more.

'J…. A…. R…' Santana looked at Quinn before following the pointer again. 'E… D. Jared.'

'So it's name is Jared.' Quinn looked up at Santana who nodded.

'Apparently. And I think we can safely assume 'it' is a man.'

'Oh yeah.' Quinn agreed. 'What now?'

'Erm..' Santana thought of how to word the next question. 'What….' But before she could get it out the ground started to shake.

'What the fuck Santana?' Quinn looked around at the floor below them, dirt and small rocks bouncing up around their feet.

'Guys?' Brittany called, she and Rachel even more huddled together. Quinn looked to Santana for what they should do now, because this was getting seriously fucked up.

'Santana do something.' Quinn pleaded.

'Okay erm, goodbye Jared.' She called, slightly muted by an annoying rumbling that accompanied the mini earthquake they seemed to be experiencing. The pointer didn't move so she shouted again. 'I said goodbye!'

'Wait, look.' Quinn directed her attention back down to the pointer. 'N…. O.'

'No?' Santana looked at Quinn, eyes locking in panic. This was real. 'What the fuck does 'no' mean?' Santana yelled. But then a bright light started to emit from the centre of the board.

'Santana what is that?' Quinn asked.

'No idea. Shit, shit.' She looked back over to Rachel and Brittany. This shouldn't be happening. She hadn't expected anything like this to happen she just wanted to have some fun, especially scaring Berry, but this was just insane.

'Santana!' Quinn yelled, but it was too late. The light burst from the centre of the board, sending both girls flying backwards. Their fingers were definitely off of the pointer now.

'Oh my God!' Rachel and Brittany yelled in unison, standing up together as the rumbling stopped and the light died down. Quinn was nearest to them, thrown backwards about ten feet and landing hard on her ass in nearby shrubs. 'Quinn!' both girls ran to her side. 'Are you okay?' Rachel asked, pulling her out gently.

'Yeah, ow.' She winced, her hands covered in small scratches along with one on her cheek. Santana had been thrown in the opposite direction, the three girls walking together to find her.

'Santana!' Brittany shouted, seeing her lying on the floor next to an old oak tree. The blonde sprinted to her side and looked her over.

'Rachel, Rach she's not awake!' Brittany cried.

'Okay Brit, let me look at her.' Rachel knelt on the other side, bending over the Latina before looking up at the other girls. 'She's, she's okay. She must have just hit her head.

'Damn right I hit my head.' Santana spoke from below them. 'Shit.' She tried to focus as she put her left hand over her eyes.

'Jesus Santana.' Rachel sat backwards, the abrupt noise coming from the ex-cheerio making her jump.

'San are you okay?' Brittany took her hand away and looked into her eyes.

'I'm fine Brit.' She smiled, standing up with the help of her girlfriend. 'You okay Q?' Santana looked at her.

'No. I'm not okay. What the hell was that?' She asked, a single tear falling from her face.

'I have, no idea.' Santana admitted, looking down at the floor as Brittany put her arm around Santana's waist.

'Come on.' Rachel said. 'Lets get out of here.' They all agreed and headed back to Santana's house. They had a lot to talk about.


	2. Chapter 2

**Grrrrrrrr! trains suck! bad day... :( **

**Here's chapter 2!**

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>_** 2**_

They made their way quietly up the stairs of Santana's house, careful not to wake her father, and then settled in Santana's bedroom. The Latina flicked the light on, blinding herself momentarily with the brightness, before turning around to face the others. 'Holy shit Q, are you sure you're okay?' She stepped up to the blonde and lifted her hand to her face. There was a long scratch making its way from just under Quinn's eye down to her chin, red and raw from freshness.

'I'm fine San, what about you though?' Quinn asked, running her eyes over her friend's face.

'What do you mean?' Santana asked, confused.

'Check the mirror.' Rachel finished for the blonde. Santana did so, moving to the full length mirror that was hanging on her bedroom wall next to the wardrobe doors. She looked at herself and was lost for words. There was a large bruise forming on the right side of her face and her eyebrow had swollen into a small lump.

'Damn, that's gonna be fun to explain to my dad tomorrow.' She joked, turning around and taking off her jacket.

'San!' Brittany cried, jumping up from her position on the bed to stand with her. 'Your shoulder.' Brittany pointed out, Santana turning back to the mirror and the other girls surrounding her. Her right shoulder was one big bruise, the black and purple marks making their way down her arm.

'I guess I hit that tree harder then I thought.' She turned back to Brittany and kissed her gently on the lips. 'I'm fine.' She assured her, wincing as she removed her vest top and replaced it with a pyjama top. Rachel then turned back to Quinn.

'Are you sure you're alright? I mean, no more bumps or bruises?'

'No Rachel, just the scratches on my hands. I'm good.' Quinn assured her, all of the girls then changing, before gathering closely on Santana's bed.

'That was… erm…' Rachel began.

'Seriously fucked up.'

'Yes thank you Santana.' The diva continued. 'But what was that?'

'A mean ghost.' Brittany said, laying her head on the pillow nearest Santana and looking up at the brunette.

'Yeah B, a really mean ghost.' She smiled.

'Seriously Santana, why did you want to try a Ouija board out there?' Quinn asked as she studied her friend's bruised face. The Latina sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

'I told you I always feel something when I run through there.' They nodded. 'Like a presence. But I don't know, it's stupid.' She said, frustrated.

'Santana what is it?' Rachel asked.

'Yeah, there's something you're not telling us isn't there?' Quinn thought out loud, sitting up straighter along with Brittany.

'Shit.' Santana stood up hastily from the bed, pacing backwards and forwards.

'San, what is it?' Brittany asked, her big blue eyes making Santana melt as she stared into them.

'I'm sorry.' Santana whispered, looking down at the floor.

'Santana, what the hell are you sorry for?' Quinn almost laughed but the seriousness of the Latina's tone stopped her.

'I didn't want you guys to get involved, but I didn't..' She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. 'I didn't want to go out there on my own, I didn't think anything like this would actually happen, I...'

'Santana.' Brittany stood up, placing two hands on her girlfriend, one on either shoulder. 'Calm down.' Brittany lifted her chin.

'I'm sorry.' Santana whispered again.

'We know you're sorry San. But you need to tell us what for.' Brittany smiled. Santana nodded as she let the blonde lead her back over to the bed, sitting down and wiping her nose before she continued.

'So Q, you know I was saying about my grandma believing in the supernatural and stuff?' Quinn nodded. 'Well I believe it too, okay.'

'But why are you freaking out over this? So you believe it, why do you need to apologise for that?' Rachel asked.

'Because I took you out there against your will, I fucking lied to you about it and now we're in some deep shit.' Santana rubbed her eyes.

'Santana what are you talking about?' Quinn asked, her voice lowering as her worry increased.

'I knew the woods were haunted, I just wanted to see how strong the spirit was.'

'Wait, what?' Rachel looked at her, shocked as Santana exhaled heavily.

'I'm gonna tell you guys something that no one else knows okay?' Santana looked at all of them in turn as they nodded. 'And you cannot tell anyone about it. I need you to promise.'

'Of course San, what is it?' Quinn took her hand.

'Okay so, erm about eight years ago.' She took in a deep breath. 'I don't know exactly what happened and I've never asked, but my grandparents were round for the night. I heard a noise downstairs, so did everyone else because I heard my dad and granddad go down to check it out. My grandma came in and checked on me but I pretended to be asleep.' She sniffed once more, Quinn squeezing her hand encouragingly. 'Basically, someone had broken into the house. I remember hearing a fight and then shouting but they all thought I was asleep. I heard the back door open and peeked out of my window.' Santana looked down onto the bed and her eyes glazed over.

'Santana, what is it?' Rachel prompted.

'I saw my dad carrying a body out into the woods.' Santana admitted, not making eye contact as she listened to their reactions.

'Holy shit San.' Quinn pulled her hand away and got the brunette's attention. 'Why didn't you just call the cops, have him arrested?'

'I don't know Q. I have no fucking idea what went on down there so I cant tell you.' She wiped the tears from her face. 'I was nine years old, what the hell was I supposed to do?'

'Nothing San, It's okay.' Brittany assured her, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

'Just before my grandma died a few years ago, she warned me about the woods and told me to stay out of them.' Santana informed them, Rachel simply staring at her with wide eyes. 'She knew what they had done was wrong. They buried this guy, whoever he was, in the woods.'

'That's why you wanted to try the board?' Quinn asked, Santana nodding.

'Yeah, I've done it a couple of times before but I was on the edge of the woods and the pointer only moved inches. I was too much of a coward to go in on my own and do it so I…' She put her head in her hands. 'Shit, I'm so fucking stupid.' She cursed herself.

'Santana, look at me.' Quinn held her uninjured shoulder. 'If you had asked us up front we would have said yes anyway. We're your friends.'

'Yeah right, Berry would have ran a mile.' Santana looked to the diva.

'She has a point Quinn.' Rachel confirmed, quickly shaking her head and continuing. 'But even if I didn't want to participate, I would have still come with you.' She smiled.

'Okay. But I don't know what happens now?' Santana scrunched her eyebrows in thought. 'I mean, that light was unlike anything I've ever seen before. And the only thing I can think is that it was his spirit getting out.' Santana said worriedly.

'Alright, hold up for now San.' Quinn cut in. 'We've had a long night. Why don't we get some sleep and figure this out in the morning?'

'Sounds good to me.' Rachel concurred.

'Yeah, San you said we could get our cuddle on.' Brittany winked, Santana smiling as she pushed the blonde down onto the bed.

'I did didn't I.' Santana grinned.

'Okay gross.' Quinn quickly jumped down from the bed, followed hastily by Rachel. 'None of that if we're sleeping on the floor okay.'

'Whatever, we'll be quiet.' Santana promised, both standing girls shaking their heads.

'No Santana, as long as Quinn and I are in the same room, you'll just have to keep it in your pants.'

'Did Berry just say 'keep it in your pants'?' Santana laughed, the smaller girl slumping down on the mattress in defeat.

'Santana, go to sleep.' Quinn pleaded.

'Sure, sure. We can go one night cant we B?' The blonde grinned, kissing Santana on the lips before wrapping the covers around them both.

'Goodnight guys.' Santana called to the room, getting mumbled goodnights back as she reached over to switch off the lamp beside her bed. She tried to relax, she really did, but the thoughts of earlier that night were haunting her. Who was Jared? What happened in her house that night? And why couldn't they just call the police and have them deal with the house invader? Too many questions rattled through her brain as she tried to drift off, and she definitely expected a nightmare to manifest itself whilst she slept.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Nine year old Santana peeked out of the covers that surrounded her, a noise from downstairs startling her. She heard faint footsteps at first, louder ones coming from the same floor as her when her father awoke from his sleep. 'Stay there…' She heard him call to her mother, the hall light flicking on through the cracks in her door. There were more footsteps now. It was like everyone in the house was out of the safety of their beds, everyone except her. She pulled the covers up to her chin and listened. 'What is going on…..' She heard her father shouting, it sounded like he was in the living room right below her. 'I'm sorry, I truly am but…..' His voice was cut off by her own door handle turning. She quickly stifled a gasp and hauled the covers back over her head as she flattened herself on the bed. She could see a slither of her bedroom floor light up as the door was gently pushed open, only for it to be closed a few seconds later. She sighed and crunched her eyes together, wondering what could be going on down there, but then another noise snapped her back to the present. She heard her mother calling; 'Javier! Javier….!' And then nothing. Against her better judgement she tiptoed out of bed and across the room to her window. Carefully pulling back the curtain she saw a figure, her father? Carrying something over his shoulder. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat, finding any and all explanations rattling around in her brain as to what could be happening. _

'_That's right…..' She heard from behind her.' He killed me.' She slowly turned around to face the deep voice, a single tear fell from her eye as she looked over his face. His dead face. Then he lunged. _

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><p>'Santana!' Brittany yelled, her hands on her girlfriends shoulders to keep her in place.<p>

'Santana wake up.' Quinn called, the brunettes eyes then snapping open as she shot upwards. Brittany's restraints did nothing as she didn't want to injure Santana further, the Latina crashing into her body as open arms engulfed her.

'Hey, shhh, San it's okay.' Brittany assured her, Santana shaking in her arms as the other girls watched on with concerned eyes.

'B… Brit. He..' Santana swallowed, finally realising where she was, that it was a dream, and clinging on to Brittany for dear life.

'It's okay.' The blonde repeated. 'You were having a bad dream.'

'No, no, no..' Santana breathed heavily as she pulled away to look at them all. 'It wasn't, wasn't a dream. It was a memory.' She swallowed once more, her throat incredibly dry.

'What?' Rachel sat forwards on the edge of Santana's bed. 'From when?' She asked.

'It was that night, the night I told you guys about.' Santana moved back from her girlfriend and rested her head back, covering her eyes with one hand. 'But then it wasn't, it changed..' She whispered, all of them hearing the tickle in her throat as she spoke.

'Okay San, drink this.' Brittany said as she passed her a glass of water. She watched as the sweat still glistened over the girls forehead and arms, although the bruises on her face and shoulder were not as noticeable in the dark.

'Thanks B.' She smiled weakly, handing her back the glass to put down for her.

'Now take a breath Santana.' Quinn put a hand on her knee. 'What happened?' Santana inhaled and then told them. 'So it was all exactly how I remembered it, the bits I could remember, but then at the end…' She seemed to drift off.

'What?' Rachel prompted.

'At the end there was a voice, someone was standing behind me and he said that my dad killed him.' Santana placed her hand over her face once more. 'This is so fucked up.' She whimpered, Brittany rubbing comforting circles in her back.

'Then what happened Santana?' Quinn asked.

'Then I turned around, and..' She tried to think. 'And, shit. I don't know Q. His damn voice.' She sobbed. 'I cant get it out of my head.'

'It's okay San.' Brittany whispered again, trying to comfort her and stop her tears.

'No Brittany!' She yelled, causing the blonde to flinch back. 'It's not fucking okay!' She glared at her. But as Santana saw Brittany's eyes start to water, the other two girls looking at her in shock, she softened her tone. 'I'm sorry, Brit, I'm….'

'I know. It's okay.' Brittany smiled, taking her hand and ignoring her outburst. 'It was just a dream San.'

'But what about everything that happened in the woods?' Quinn asked. 'I mean, it's not everyday that a blinding light can shoot out of a plank of wood, let alone one that can knock us ten feet away and onto our asses.'

'Yeah, Quinn's right.' Rachel agreed. 'There's too much that cant be explained and now this? We need to find out what's going on.'

'Right, but how do we do that?' Santana sniffed, wiping her nose on a tissue as she calmed down.

'I think it's time you talked to your parents.' Quinn said, Santana shooting her a look saying 'you're kidding' but also 'you're right.' She had to sooner or later, and there's no time like the present.

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><p>Santana awoke the next morning to the sound of her front door slamming. She knew it was her mum coming in from the hospital. She'd been there almost non-stop lately as a night receptionist, and with her dad working most nights and other weird hours, she hardly got to see them. That was probably the reason she was dreading having a conversation with them about what happened that night. Even now she knew that she wouldn't get a straight answer, or she would get shouted at. The Lopez's aren't known for their compassion or way with words so she was expecting a very, uncomfortable, breakfast with everyone. She groggily rolled out of bed, careful not to wake Brittany who was sleeping soundly behind her, or Rachel and Quinn who had managed to tangle themselves on the end of the bed. A bed that wasn't meant for two people, let alone four, so Santana was glad for the escape. She needed to go down and do some damage control before waking up the others, her parents weren't the easiest people to talk to and she didn't think they would appreciate being bombarded with questions by everyone. She heard them moving about in the kitchen as she descended the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning at a night not well slept, before turning the hall corner and entering her kitchen. Her mother was standing over the coffee pot, waiting for it to spit out some alertness for her and her husband, Mr Lopez having crawled out of bed to get ready for a six am start time. He was rummaging around in the fridge to try and find something edible for breakfast, looking forwards to a long day of surgeries.<p>

'Hey Mami, Papi.' Santana said quietly as she stepped into the kitchen.

'Hey baby girl.' Her mother greeted, Mr Lopez shooting her a small smile, tiredness clearly evident in his posture and lack of enthusiasm.

'Santana, honey, what happened to your face?' Mrs Lopez asked as she noticed the bruises.

'Oh, nothing really. It was stupid, and we were messing about in the woods. I'm fine.' Santana assured them with a smile.

'If you say so sweetie, but who is 'we'?' Mr Lopez asked.

'Some friends from glee club stayed over last night, is that okay?' Santana asked, aware that she hadn't had permission prior.

'Really?' Mr Lopez said. 'I didn't hear anything.' He lent his back on the fridge door after he closed it.

'We were quiet.' Santana informed him.

'Oh right then, well it's fine Santana. But let us know first next time.' He said, turning his attention back to a loaf of bread and a toaster.

'Sure Papi, sorry.' She said timidly. 'Did you have a good shift mum?' She made conversation, sitting herself down at the island and watching her mother pour the coffee.

'Same old stuff. You know, sick people.' She smiled. Mrs Lopez never thought too much about work if she could help it, the hospital in Lima wasn't the most cheery of buildings. It actually freaked Santana out a little. She had to stay there over night once and it gave her a complete phobia, the smell, the people, the entire vibe was just unsettling.

'So I needed to ask you guys something, while you're both here.' Santana fidgeted on her stool.

'What is it honey? I have to leave in a few minutes.' Javier Lopez informed her, taking a bite of toast that had just popped up.

'It wont take long, I swear, I just need to talk to you about a dream I had last night.'

'What kind of dream San?' Her mother asked, sitting opposite her daughter on another stool.

'Well it felt more like a memory than a dream. I was nine, I think, and I heard noises coming from downstairs. It was like someone had broken into the house or something.' She saw both of her parents faces stiffen, shooting each other a look without moving their heads.

'Why… why would you dream that Santana?' Her mother managed to ask, putting her face back in the coffee mug to disguise herself.

'There's more.' Santana continued. 'I looked out of my window and saw you Papi.' Mr Lopez glared at her with a shocked look on his face, coughing and shuffling his feet around underneath him.

'Really? And what was I doing?' He queried.

'Carrying something into the woods.' Santana said, not looking at him but playing with her fingers on the table.

'What would I be carrying into the woods?' He wanted to know what she was thinking.

'You tell me dad.' She replied.

'Don't get snarky with me Santana. And anyway, it was just a dream.' He said firmly, the brunette shaking her head.

'It wasn't, I know it wasn't.' She stood up. 'What happened that night? Huh dad? What did you do to him?' She shouted.

'Santana Lopez stop this. It was a dream. End of conversation.'

'Javier..' Maria Lopez tried to calm her husband but it was no use.

'Papi, I know something happed and I need to know what it was. Please.' She almost begged, his eyes never leaving Santana's as he responded.

'Leave it alone Santana.' Were his final words before storming out of the house and off to work. She looked at her mother whose hands were still glued to her coffee mug.

'Mum, come on I need to know….' Santana began, her mother interrupting her and also getting up to leave.

'Your father said leave it San, please listen to him.' Maria shot her a small smile as she went up the stairs to sleep of the night shift, Santana standing alone in the kitchen. That went just as well as she expected and the only thing she knew for sure, is that something really, really terrible happened that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'Hey San, where were you?' Brittany asked as the Latina walked slowly back into her bedroom. All three of her friends were now up, sitting in various places but still in their pyjamas. She gave them a sad smile and flopped down on the bed next to Brittany who pulled her into a hug.

'I heard mum come in from work. She and dad were both in the kitchen so I thought I'd ask about, you know.' She placed an arm over Brittany's stomach and hugged her tight.

'What did they say?' Rachel asked, putting down the magazine she was rifling through and moving over onto the end of the bed next to Quinn.

'Basically, to leave it alone.' She sighed. 'They both got all, weird. Dad stormed out and mum just looked, sad.'

'I'm sorry San. We'll have to do some digging of our own.' Brittany said, kissing her on the top of her head. Santana winced under the added pressure, her injured shoulder being lent on too much.

'Are you okay Santana?' Quinn looked at her concerned, the brunette getting up and moving away from Brittany slightly.

'Yeah, I'm just a bit sore.' She smiled. 'No biggy.'

'San..'

'Q, I'm fine. What about you?' Santana asked, shifting the focus of the conversation.

'I'm as fine as you are.' Quinn gave her a sly smile, Santana grinning and shaking her head.

'So, looks like we're going to have to work this out on our own then.' Rachel said to move along the conversation, all three other girls nodding in agreement.

'But how? I mean, where do we even start?' Quinn sighed.

'Well, we know the ghosts name.' Santana reminded her, the blonde looking up into her eyes.

'We do?' Brittany asked, confused.

'Yeah, right before everything went wonky last night, the ghost spelt out his name. Jared.' Quinn informed them.

'Hang on a minute, so his name is Jared.' Rachel said. 'How are we supposed to research that? Do you know how many people there are called Jared in the United States?'

'Probably a lot Berry, which is why we narrow the search.' Santana started, crossing her legs in front of her on the bed. 'We know he must have lived in Lima, which isn't a big town, and we know the year he died, or the year her went missing, 2003.'

'The year you turned nine.' Brittany said, getting a smile from her girlfriend.

'Exactly Brit.' She got off the bed and moved over to her laptop, unplugging it and bringing it back over to the group.

'But this will only work if someone reported him missing. We're assuming he had a family and people who cared about him.' Rachel pointed out, looking at Quinn who knew exactly where the diva was going.

'But it's probably more likely he was homeless. If he was desperate enough to break into a house full of sleeping people, he probably wasn't that smart and needed food or something to sell. Most men with families and houses of their own, don't need to break into other peoples.'

'Okay Q, but still. I have to try.' Santana looked at her as she nodded, flipping open the lid to the laptop and trying her luck.

* * *

><p>Five hours had passed since Santana started her internet search and she was coming up blank. Her computer had taken a few bashes of frustration, and the other girls took it upon themselves to go back to their own houses for a while. They had school tomorrow and Brittany had relatives round so needed to at least make an appearance. Rachel and Quinn had agreed to come back over later on in the evening. Santana was just about at her wits end. Nothing had come up involving Lima disappearances or deaths in that year, and it wasn't a big town so if anything like that happened would be top on the news board. She decided to give up after hits for just searching the name 'Jared' got up into the millions. That's how desperate she was. She closed the lid of her laptop with a sigh, walking over to her window and moving the curtain back. She looked out into the woods, studying the trees as they moved in the subtle wind. It didn't look that scary in the day light. She turned back into her room and pulled on a pair of jeans, studying her bruised arm in the mirror once more before throwing a zip up hoodie around her shoulders. She zipped it half way up, her red vest top still visible, and then slipped on her battered old converse. She grabbed her phone and then quietly tip-toed down the stairs so that she didn't wake her mother, and went out the back door. Pretty much the only up side of having two parents who were either at work or asleep at alternate times was that Santana could pretty much do what she wanted. She threw up her hood as the cold wind tugged at her hair, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she trudged along the damp grass of her backyard. Truthfully she had no idea what she was doing, or if it was going to work, but she was all out of other options. She Specifically didn't know why she was doing this alone, not waiting for Quinn and Rachel was probably not a clever idea. She was however trying to keep Brittany out of it as much as she could. She knew Brittany loved her, but she didn't want to keep worrying the girl when she knew how upset she would get. This was the best way to do that, going alone. She stopped at the edge of the woods and looked up, the tall trees looming over her and rustling in the breeze. She checked her phone, four in the afternoon. Quinn and Rachel should be over soon anyways so she texted them and tell them to come straight to her backyard.<p>

_Rachel;Quinn - Research was a dead end. Gone to the woods. Txt when you're here and I'll meet you. S_

Santana sighed as she kept walking, past the rickety swing set and into the woods. She didn't exactly know what she was looking for, pretty sure that her dad wasn't stupid enough to put up a cross or gravestone where he buried the guy, so she just walked straight and hoped to stumble across something. She heard some of the dry leaves crackling under her footsteps, the rain from the early morning now a memory to the foliage, as it dried itself out. She could still smell the rain though, a dampness coming from the bark running up the trees and the mud plaguing the bottom of her converse. She did not have a good feeling in the pit of her stomach as she drew her hood as far as it could go over the front of her face before returning her hands to her pockets.

'_Santana…..' _She heard, spinning around on her heels. The motion was enough to make her hood fall off completely, her hands coming up in a defensive position as she searched for the voice. There was nothing there. She exhaled and searched the skies. Looking up at the tallest trees just in case, but still, all she saw was green and sky. Her hair blew in front of her face in one big gust, but as she was fumbling through it and trying to tuck it in her jumper something swept her off of her feet. She landed with a thump, falling onto the same bruised shoulder.

'Shit!' She winced, rolling onto her back and grasping at her injured right shoulder. 'What…?' She breathed, looking all around her once more.

'_You…..' _She heard it again, calling to her as a whisper in the wind. A chilling voice twisting through the trees to reach her ears. She still had no idea where it was coming from, and she honestly couldn't care. She hauled herself to her feet, ignoring the leaves sticking to her jeans and hoodie by sticky mud, and sprinting back the way she came.

Santana was breathing heavily, checking behind her every so often to make sure nothing was following her. She hadn't realised when she started crying but tears were staining her face. After a few moments of listening only to the sound of her own feet falling heavily against the ground, she was suddenly impeded by something in her way.

'What the fuck?' She shouted, falling back on her ass as she collided with the object, or person. She looked up. 'Berry?'

'Yes Santana! Ouch!' The diva said as she sat on the floor opposite the Latina. 'You need to look where you're going.' She informed her, standing up and brushing herself down. Then she got a good look at Santana. 'What happened to you?' She asked, her eyes widening when she took in her appearance.

'Oh, I went for a walk.' Santana said, allowing the smaller girl to pull her to her feet. Rachel saw her face screw up in pain as she tugged her right arm.

'San, is that still hurting you a lot?' Rachel enquired, running her eyes over the mud encrusting the right side of the girls hoodie.

'No, well yeah but it wasn't earlier. I fell on it again.' She stretched her arm out, rubbing it gently with her left hand.

'Santana you need to be more careful out here.' Rachel looked at her accusingly.

'I couldn't exactly help it Berry, something said my name, there was all this wind and then something knocked me off of my damn feet.' Santana informed her angrily, frustrated, not at Rachel but at the entire situation.

'What? How is that possible?' Rachel asked, Santana rolling her eyes.

'Ghost Rachel, ghost.' Santana started to walk back towards her garden. 'Where's Q anyways?'

'She's still at her house.' Rachel said, jogging up beside her friend and falling into step with her. 'We saw your text and agreed that at least one of us should come find you.'

'Well, thanks I guess.' Santana mumbled.

'By the looks of things Santana, you need our help. We have to find out what this ghost wants because he's obviously dangerous.'

'Yeah, you don't need to tell me Berry. But how can I do that without my parents telling me what went down?' Santana asked, stepping into her back garden just as more rain began to fall.

'I have no idea.' Rachel admitted, both girls looking down and defeated in that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'So you heard a voice and then you were flat on your ass again?' Quinn asked, all three girls sitting in the living room a few hours later.

'Yeah, that's about it.' Santana said, wincing as she rearranged the cold press on her shoulder.

'Why were you out there anyway Santana?' Rachel asked, the Latina sighing.

'I dunno, I mean I was running out of ideas and thought it might help.'

'And did it?' Quinn asked sarcastically.

'No Q, it didn't.' Santana glared at her, the blonde fighting back a smile. The silence was then broken by Rachel, who was sitting on the end of the sofa with Santana's laptop in front of her.

'Guys..' She said, carefully reading the information in front of her.

'What is it?' Santana asked, both other girls coming over to her. Santana fell down by her side and Quinn lent behind them, both looking with her at the screen.

'I think I found something.' She looked at Santana.

'What Berry, come on.' Santana said rather impatiently, and then looked down to the screen once more. 'It's just search results, I tried that before.'

'I know, but look.' Rachel pointed to the first result. 'I searched all of the letters as capitals, and individually, and this came up…' She read aloud; '**J**ustification **A**nd **R**ighteousness **E**nforcement **D**epartment. J.A.R.E.D.' Santana looked at the screen as if she didn't believe it.

'Holy shit Rachel, what made you think of doing that?' Quinn Asked from behind them, Rachel not hiding her sense of accomplishment very well.

'Oh I don't know, I was sort of ready to give up like Santana so I just started playing around with the order of the letters and stuff like that.'

'Okay, hang on. I still don't understand what this has to do with the ghost? What is this, department?' Santana asked. Rachel clicked on the link, Quinn leaning down for a closer look as they all read the introduction. A few moments later Quinn broke the silence.

'So it's like a lawyers, or solicitors office?' She looked confused. 'Never heard of it.'

'Yeah.' Rachel agreed, reading the page more thoroughly. 'People could hire them to investigate things they felt were unfair, laws that penalised the public. For example, If you get a parking ticket for getting out of your car for a few minutes just to go and buy a parking stamp. Getting fined for having too much garbage in your bin. Really petty things like that.'

'It sounds stupid if you ask me.' Santana said, scanning the other options on the page. 'Rachel, click on that one, the news desk.' Rachel did, and then they found out why they had never heard of such a department.

'It was closed in 2004, pending the investigation of a missing employee.' Santana read. 'And was never reopened.'

'San.' Quinn swallowed. 'When did you say you turned nine?'

'2003.' Santana reminded her.

'Great.' Quinn walked back round to the sofa and sat down. 'So we have a lead.' Rachel nodded firmly, knowing what she had to do as she scrolled through the other news items. 'Here, look at this.'

'May 2003.….. local employee Nathan Walker is still missing… the police have no leads as to his disappearance….. His wife and three children are still looking for anyone to come forward with new information….' Santana read so that Quinn could hear. 'There's a picture.' Santana looked up, Quinn hurrying back round to the other side and looking over their shoulders.

'He's kind of cute.' Quinn thought out loud.

'Q, he looks about forty.' Santana said disgustedly. Although the man in the picture had a certain rugged quality, he was definitely too old for her. He had a beard, but not a long one, a moustache and sideburns that connected to his hair. The hair was brown and short, probably the same length as his beard, and his complexion was just a little darker than pale. Like he'd caught maybe a few afternoons in the sun. He looked tired. Lines marked along his face, crows feet poking from the corners of his eyes. His eyes. They were bright blue. Bluer than Brittany's and Santana couldn't stop looking at them.

'San…' Rachel said. 'San..' She knocked her on the shoulder.

'What?' Santana looked over to her, her gaze on the computer broken.

'You okay? You zoned out completely.' Quinn pointed out.

'Oh sorry, what were you saying?' Santana cleared her throat and turned to face them as best she could.

'Just that we now need to make a connection between this guy and your family.' Rachel said.

'Yeah, how do we do that?' Santana asked, and she saw the look in Quinn's eyes. 'No.'

'What? You don't know what I'm thinking.' Quinn protested, Santana getting up to face both of them.

'Yeah I do, you want me to try again with my parents.' There was a pause, Quinn looked down and played with her thumbs. 'I knew it! And no, I cant.'

'Santana, it might work this time.' Rachel suggested. 'We have a name. Maybe saying it out loud to your folks might shock them enough to spill the information.'

'Crap.' Santana ran her left hand through her hair in frustration. 'Fine. But you are both doing it with me.'

'Okay, sounds good.' Quinn smiled. 'When?'

'It's Monday tomorrow, mum's shift tonight starts at 8, dad gets off at 6.' Santana worked out in her mind. 'They'll both be here in four hours. We'll have to grab them then or miss our shot.'

'Great.' Rachel said as Santana flopped back down on the adjacent chair. 'It's going to work out Santana, everything will be fine.' The brunette looked over to them with a sad smile, Quinn now by Rachel's side.

'Yeah, I know.' She sighed. 'Now what shall we do to kill the time?'

* * *

><p>A few hours later, whilst the girls were watching some reality show on the television, Santana heard her mother come down the stairs. Mrs Lopez walked into the living room and was greeted by three smiling faces. 'Hey mum.'<p>

'Hi honey, what are you girls up to?' She asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa nearest to the door.

'Just watching TV.' Santana said, sitting up to face her mother. 'Do you know when dad's meant to be in?'

'Yeah, sorry San but I got a message from your father. It woke me up actually. But he's been needed in a seven hour surgery so he wont be in until tomorrow morning.' She smiled sadly at her daughter, Santana nodding faintly as she turned her attention back to the tele. 'And I have to leave for work in about an hour so will you be alright? The girls can stay over.'

'Yeah, don't worry about it mum. We're good.' Santana looked back at her smiling.

'Okay then.' Mrs Lopez said, moving from her seat and heading to the door.

'Erm, Mrs Lopez?' Quinn called after her, the older Latina stopping and turning back to face them.

'Yes Quinn, and please call me Maria.' She smiled.

'Sorry, Maria.' Quinn smiled. 'We actually needed to talk to you and Mr Lopez, but seeing as he wont be in, could you stay for a minute?' Santana shot Quinn and evil glare, the blonde obviously ignoring her as she focused on her friends mother. Rachel was sitting on the edge of her seat in anticipation.

'Sure, what's up girls?' She asked, taking her place back on the edge of the sofa.

'Does the name, Nathan Walker, mean anything to you?' Quinn asked. And all of the girls saw Maria's face freeze in terror.

'Mum? Mum what is it?' Santana asked.

'Where did you hear that name?' She asked, swallowing heavily.

'We worked it out.' Santana informed them. 'I told you and dad that I had a dream about this guy, Nathan. I need you to tell me what happened that night.'

'Santana, I don't know why you had that dream, but I can assure you…'

'No, mum come on!' Santana yelled, standing up and facing her mother.

'Mrs Lopez.' Rachel cut in, not wanting Santana to loose her temper too quickly. 'It would really help us out if you can tell us something about him.'

'Girls.' Mrs Lopez began, folding her hands calmly in her lap. 'What happened that night, was horrible. It wasn't meant to happen, but certain events beforehand made it real. We never expected it, and your father and grandfather dealt with it the only way they could.' Maria looked at her daughter.

'Well, that's nice and cryptic mum, anything else.' Santana said sarcastically.

'Don't be that way Santana.' Maria stood up to face her child. 'Did you ever stop to think that maybe we don't want you to know. That we don't want you to have what happened that night hanging over your head?'

'Mum, I just.. I need to know.' Santana said, and Maria had never seen her so sincere.

'Why? Why do you have to know so badly?'

'You wouldn't believe me.' Santana said quietly, sitting back down and leaning her head in her hands.

'This is about your grandmother isn't it?' Maria said. 'She talked to you about the woods and that they're haunted.'

'Yeah.' Santana confirmed.

'I told her to leave you out of it, I didn't want you to get involved Santana.' Maria's voice was raising, not shouting but very loud.

'Well I am involved mum.' Santana got to her feet once more. 'I am involved and I need you to be straight with me.' She pleaded. Mrs Lopez stood there thinking to herself. What harm would it do? If Santana really wanted to know she would tell her.

'Fine. Fine you want to know what happened that night?'

'Yeah I do. We do.' Santana went to sit between Rachel and Quinn, Maria taking the floor in front of them.'

'Okay, so Nathan was a very good man. I take it you know where he worked, how he tried to help people.' They nodded. 'He had three children. I cant remember their names but he had two sons and a daughter. I remember his littler girl well, her name was Lilly.' Maria smiled. 'I met her a few times. She had the most beautiful blonde hair, her eyes a blue as anything, and she was the joy of his life.'

'How did you know him, and his family?' Rachel asked.

'Well, that's the sad part really.' Maria looked down and continued. 'Nathan volunteered at the hospital your father works in.' She looked at her daughter. 'One day he was going to bring Lilly with him, and they were in an accident. He was fine but she suffered a severe brain trauma.'

'What happened to her?' Quinn asked, Santana biting her nails as she listened as hard as she could.

'She was put on life support in the children's ward. After three weeks there was no change, but Nathan insisted on waiting and waiting. After four months…' She looked at Santana. 'Your father made the call. He declared her brain dead and switched off her machine. Nathan never forgave him.'

'That's terrible mum. But I still don't understand. What was he doing here that night?' Maria sighed.

'We hadn't heard from him in a few months. We went to the funeral but he just didn't seem himself. And who could blame him. After Lilly died he was a different man.'

'So why did he come here?' Rachel asked.

'Your father talked about you all the time Santana. You were the same age as Lilly, both nine that year, and your fathers loved nothing more than bragging about their girls.' Her smile faded.'He was drunk that night, clumsy, which was why we heard him.'

'And…' Santana prompted.

'And he felt like your father had taken Lilly away from him.' Maria locked eyes with her daughter. 'He came here that night, to even the score.' She said, tears in her eyes as all of the girls caught on.

'He..' Santana stuttered, swallowing before continuing. 'He came here to kill me?'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

'Santana, say something.' Rachel pleaded, all three girls now back in Santana's bedroom but the Latina hadn't said anything since the earlier revelation. Santana looked up at the diva, the amount of fear showing through in her eyes almost unbearable. 'Santana?' Rachel said again, placing one hand on her shoulder. Santana was sitting on the end of her bed, Rachel looming above her and Quinn staring out of her window and into the forest.

'He..' She croaked, Quinn turning back into the room at the sound of her voice. 'He came here, to kill me.' Both other girls looked at her silently, not sure what to say really. 'Because, my dad turned off his daughter's life support machine.' Santana was now staring at a far patch of wall, swallowing harshly as she tried to make everything sink in.

'Santana….' Quinn stepped over to them and at next to her, one hand on her knee as Rachel's still lingered on her un-bruised shoulder.

'And the best part?' Santana smiled, breaking eye contact with the wall to look at her blonde friend. 'We just let his fucking ghost back into our dimension.' She laughed, lying down and falling onto the soft material beneath her. Rachel and Quinn shared a look of worry, Rachel eventually clearing her throat and trying to reason with Santana.

'Do you think that's actually what happened Santana?' She asked, sitting on the other side of the Latina.

'Well what else could it be Berry?' Santana said bluntly, not moving from her position but throwing her hands up to her head. 'Ow, shit.' She winced, forgetting about the second fall she took on her shoulder.

'You okay?' Quinn asked, Santana sitting up with a look of pain across her face.

'Fine.' She flexed her shoulder. 'Just a bit sore.'

'Okay, back to the whole ghost issue.' Rachel pressed on. 'Is it not plausible that your mind has been playing tricks on you?' Santana went to protest but Rachel continued. 'I just mean that knowing the woods were haunted, doing that stupid Ouija board, and now this revelation about Mr Walker, that you now think a ghost has come back from the grave or wherever, to seek revenge on your family?' Santana thought for a moment, standing up and shaking her head furiously.

'No, no Rachel, that's not what this is.' She put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. 'My Dad or Granddad or both of them, killed a man. They killed him because he came here to kill me.'

'That's not the part I'm disputing Santana. That is probably entirely true, all I'm saying is that maybe ghosts and Ouija boards aren't real, they don't work.'

'So explain to us Rachel.' Quinn interjected. 'How did a beam of white light shoot out of that board? How did we get thrown on our asses by nothing? How did Santana get another massive bruise on her shoulder in the woods earlier?'

'Alright, alright, I get your point. Several key factors cannot be explained.'

'Exactly, so until you figure out what else it might be, we are preparing for a ghost.' Santana said, sighing as she set herself down in her swivel chair.

'What do you mean preparing?' Quinn asked. 'How do we do that?'

'Well.' Santana sat forward. 'My Grandma always said there were ways to banish ghosts and spirits. I think it's time I tried to find one.' She smiled weakly, something else popping into her head. 'And Brittany doesn't need to know about this, any of it.'

'San, she's your girlfriend. You don't want to keep this from her.' Rachel said.

'Yeah I do, I don't want Brit anywhere near this. I wont risk her getting hurt.' Santana looked up at both of them, eyes filled with pleading.

'Okay San, it's your call. We wont say anything you don't want us to.' Quinn smiled gently.

'Thanks.' Santana whispered.

'So what do we do now?' Rachel asked, seeing the darkness settling over the outside world.

'Well, I'm going to stay up until my dad gets in, talk to him and get his side of the story. You guys are welcome to stay, or go. We have school tomorrow remember.' Santana said, both girls nodding slightly as they remembered.

'It is getting late, I think I better go before my dads get worried.' Rachel said, standing up and moving towards the door.

'Okay, thanks for coming over Rachel.'

'Sure Santana, Quinn do you want a lift home?'

'Is that okay?' Quinn asked, Rachel nodded. 'We'll see you at school tomorrow then San, okay?'

'Yeah, see you guys.' Santana said quietly, immediately turning around and turning on her laptop.

'Santana I need you to promise that you wont do anything stupid.' Quinn said as she and Rachel stood in the doorway.

'Please Q, what could I do?' Santana replied without looking at them, opening her web browser and starting a search.

'Don't go back into the woods.' Quinn said, Santana swallowing again before she promised not to. 'Good, see you tomorrow.'

'And we'll try and do some research of our own.' Rachel informed her.

'Thanks guys.' Santana waved them out over her shoulder, focusing on her computer screen. Now all she had to do was keep herself busy until she heard her dad come in downstairs.

* * *

><p>Staying awake was easier said than done, Santana looking up everything she could to do with ghosts and how to get rid of them to avoid having her eyes close on her. She was exhausted. Fear being one of her main reasons at trying to stay awake but she also really wanted to talk to her dad. She needed to understand. Needed to know if this ghost was being irrational or if there was something more to this story. She heard the front door slam, her head jerking up from it's position flat on the keyboard of her laptop. She didn't know when she set her head down but she was very close to dreamland at that moment. Rubbing her eyes and yawning before she got up, Santana moved over to her bed. She grabbed her hoodie, which was screwed up on her duvet, and pulled it on sluggishly. It was suddenly very cold. She didn't remember it being this cold when earlier. Yawning once more before she made her way out of her room and down the stairs, everything in darkness. She heard her father moving around in the kitchen, and turning the corner she could see a faint light coming from the refrigerator being opened and closed. 'Dad?' She called, walking towards the door of the kitchen. 'Dad?' She repeated, pushing the door open and walking into the now dark kitchen.<p>

'Oh, hi honey.' She heard through the darkness, flipping on the light as she passed it.

'Wow, you look awful.' Santana noticed, sitting around the island as her father took the seat opposite with a glass of milk in his hand.

'That's because I have just performed a very difficult surgery, at night, as well as my regular shift.' He smiled.

'Did they live?' Santana asked, Mr Lopez smiling.

'Yeah, he did.' Santana smiled as well, but she knew he would want to sleep so she decided to cut right to it. 'Dad I need to talk to you about Nathan Walker.'

'Who?' Javier asked, running his finger around the rim of his glass.

'Cut the crap dad.' Santana said gently, Mr Lopez looking up and settling his hand on the table. 'Mum told me.'

'She did huh?' Her father looked at her.

'Yeah, Rachel and Quinn know too.'

'Okay.' Javier sighed. 'What do you want to know?' Santana looked up suspiciously.

'So, you're just going to tell me now?'

'You already know, not much point in holding back with the details.' He laughed sadly. 'I never thought Nathan would react the way he did.'

'But he did.' Santana said, watching her father's fingers tapping lightly on the kitchen surface.

'Yes, he did.'

'Was she dead anyway dad?' Santana looked up. 'Before you switched her off, was she already dead?'

'Her body was there but her mind had gone.'

'That's not what I asked.' Santana changed the question. 'Was there any chance of her coming back? Or was she dead?'

'She was dead Santana. Nothing I could have done would have brought her back.'

'Okay then.' Santana cleared her throat. 'What happened that night?' Mr Lopez ran a hand over his hair and face, trying to wipe some of the sleep from his eyes as he remembered.

'He broke in, smashed the window in the living room with a rock from the front yard.' Mr Lopez laughed. 'He was drunk out of his mind when we got down there.'

'What did he say to you?' Santana asked nervously, pretty sure that she was not going to like her father's answer.

'He told me I was going to hell. That I had no right to do what I did, to take his daughter away from him. He was swinging a baseball bat in his hands when we stepped into the living room.'

'What was he going to do with it?' Santana asked, tears threatening to make an appearance.

'I think you know what he was going to do Santana.' She simply nodded, breaking eye contact with him and coughing.

'Yeah, what happened then?'

'Your Grandfather and I tried to calm him down and make him leave.'

'But he wouldn't listen.' Santana finished for him.

'No he didn't. He kept trying to get to the stairs, yelling about which room my baby girl was sleeping in.' Santana shifted awkwardly in her seat. 'We couldn't let him past so we did what we needed to. He started getting violent, using force to try and push us away. I landed the final blow, I think. Do you remember the statue we had on the hall table?'

'Vaguely, wasn't it a woman in a long dress or something like that?'

'Yeah, that's it.' Mr Lopez smiled. 'I hit him with it.'

'And then you buried him in the woods so no one could find him.' Santana stated.

'Santana, I know what you're thinking….'

'Yeah?' She looked at him, her eyes filling with something resembling anger. 'I'm wondering why you didn't call the police? You know, as soon as you heard someone downstairs. Or how about after he…' She stood up. 'You could have called the cops then.'

'Don't you think we thought about that?'

'I don't know, did you?' Santana laughed. 'The best you could come up with was burying him in the damn woods!'

'Santana, it all happened really fast, we didn't know what to do really. All I know is that a Dr who is also a murderer, would not bode well in the hospital.'

'Dad, it was self defence.'

'Even so, I would have lost my job and we would have had to have made lots of changes. I did what I thought was best and it saved your life Santana!'

'Okay, yeah I know that.' Her voice softened, walking towards the door, calming down. 'Get some sleep dad. And thanks for talking to me.'


End file.
